LAPT Season 2, San Jose
So, I took a deep breath and signed up this morning, especially when I learned that there were so far only 130+ players signed up, and with a prize pool guaranteed at $1,000,000 it was really a no-brainer.
When the smoked lifted and registration was closed, I think we had hit 220+ players, but still a solid overlay of more than $200,000 that Pokerstars would have to swallow. I feel sorry for them that they gambled so high, but on the other hand, I think they have enough money already :o)
The game. 10,000 in chips and a decent structure, one-hour levels. I was seated at table 2, which I believed was a sign that my table would not be broken up first like in May when y table 40 was the first to be sent all over the room. I was right - we were the second table to be broken, and I LIKED my table, aaarrggh. Check this one out, we lost our first player at he second (SECOND!!!) hand of the tournament, when the donk could not get rid of KK when reraised on the urn by a player who had hit his set on the flop.
I won a few hands pre-flop, a few hands on he flop, one hand on the turn and one hand on the river during he first two levels without ever showing my cards. I liked that, tight table, a few inexperienced online grinders, no scary players. I also lost a couple of pots against a Finnish player to my left, who seemed to be the first to start playing back at me. Still, when we went on the first break I had 10,575, more or less average.
A few hands into the third hour I had had to lay down to a reraise on the flop (to my Finnish "friend"), and then they broke up our table. I was reseated to table 9, seat 1 fro where Mister Costa Rican poker Max Stern had just busted Argentinian Leo Fernandez (incidentally an old backgammon buddy). My new table was a lot tougher than he first one, a lot of raises, reraises and playing back at the bettors.
I won a decent pot from the guy in seat 8 when I hit trip queens on the flop and trapped him, so I was more or less even when the key hand happened. Blinds were $100-200, my stack at 9,000. I pick up
UTG. Normally I don't play this hand at a full table, but I though I would try to limp this time. So I did and everybody folded to the SB who completed and Abraham Rosenkrantz in the BB checked.
The flop was
SB checked, Abraham in the BB bet $200. I have two overcards and I know Abraham like to bet and get involved so I decide to call. Back to the SB who folds, and then the dealer made a short almost unnoticeable pause, which for some reason makes Abraham make a small almost invisible movement with his cards which made me believe that he was folding to what he though was a raise from me. He realized (I think) that he was just called and covered his cards. My guts said he had a weak holding, and I laughed at him when the
came on the turn and I befriended him with a "I'll take you out of your misery, Abe!" when he checked and I bet $600. I was quite surprised when he reraised me to $1,800!!? I he really knocked me over with that bet, and I could not figure out what he was holding. Did he have 10 5, 10 6? Was he on a flush or straight draw or both? My guts told me he was on some sort of semi or clean bluff, but how could he have mustered that the way the hand had played so far? This is where I really failed today, my biggest error: I did not reraise him. What a sucker, I had this strong feeling he was bluffing and the the rear view mirror it all seems so clear,but I started eeing ghosts, so Imjst called his raise. The river was
probably one the few cards I really did not like to see. Now Abraham lead out with $3,000 which (I had $7,000 left), and I pondered for a while but in the end I could not find the call with just top pair and so many possibilities for both straights and two pairs out there. I folded and he turned over
to show me the bluff. That one hurt.
A few hands later they broke my table up again, and I was seated in an even worse position at table 23 with 4 big stacks ($18,000-30,000+) and with my $7,000+ I looked like a dwarf.
Now the blinds at $100-200 with a $25 ante. I sit out for about 8 hands when I pick up
on the button. UTG raises to $600, two callers on the way to me, I thought it a great spot to call with good value. Blinds fold, the pot is at $2,925 now. The flop comes
The preflop raise bets out $2,000 and I have about $6,000- left, so when the other two callers fold I decide that this is the hand I need to double up on (after all he should fold AK, right?) and I move all-in. He calls pretty quickly with aces, no spade, so I am looking good before the last two cards. Alas, no jack, no ten and no spade so goodbye Henrik and this awful acidous and revolting feeling in the stomach when you get up from the chair and bid the $1,000,000 prize pool a definite farewell.
When the smoked lifted and registration was closed, I think we had hit 220+ players, but still a solid overlay of more than $200,000 that Pokerstars would have to swallow. I feel sorry for them that they gambled so high, but on the other hand, I think they have enough money already :o)
The game. 10,000 in chips and a decent structure, one-hour levels. I was seated at table 2, which I believed was a sign that my table would not be broken up first like in May when y table 40 was the first to be sent all over the room. I was right - we were the second table to be broken, and I LIKED my table, aaarrggh. Check this one out, we lost our first player at he second (SECOND!!!) hand of the tournament, when the donk could not get rid of KK when reraised on the urn by a player who had hit his set on the flop.
I won a few hands pre-flop, a few hands on he flop, one hand on the turn and one hand on the river during he first two levels without ever showing my cards. I liked that, tight table, a few inexperienced online grinders, no scary players. I also lost a couple of pots against a Finnish player to my left, who seemed to be the first to start playing back at me. Still, when we went on the first break I had 10,575, more or less average.
A few hands into the third hour I had had to lay down to a reraise on the flop (to my Finnish "friend"), and then they broke up our table. I was reseated to table 9, seat 1 fro where Mister Costa Rican poker Max Stern had just busted Argentinian Leo Fernandez (incidentally an old backgammon buddy). My new table was a lot tougher than he first one, a lot of raises, reraises and playing back at the bettors.
I won a decent pot from the guy in seat 8 when I hit trip queens on the flop and trapped him, so I was more or less even when the key hand happened. Blinds were $100-200, my stack at 9,000. I pick up
UTG. Normally I don't play this hand at a full table, but I though I would try to limp this time. So I did and everybody folded to the SB who completed and Abraham Rosenkrantz in the BB checked.
The flop was
SB checked, Abraham in the BB bet $200. I have two overcards and I know Abraham like to bet and get involved so I decide to call. Back to the SB who folds, and then the dealer made a short almost unnoticeable pause, which for some reason makes Abraham make a small almost invisible movement with his cards which made me believe that he was folding to what he though was a raise from me. He realized (I think) that he was just called and covered his cards. My guts said he had a weak holding, and I laughed at him when the
came on the turn and I befriended him with a "I'll take you out of your misery, Abe!" when he checked and I bet $600. I was quite surprised when he reraised me to $1,800!!? I he really knocked me over with that bet, and I could not figure out what he was holding. Did he have 10 5, 10 6? Was he on a flush or straight draw or both? My guts told me he was on some sort of semi or clean bluff, but how could he have mustered that the way the hand had played so far? This is where I really failed today, my biggest error: I did not reraise him. What a sucker, I had this strong feeling he was bluffing and the the rear view mirror it all seems so clear,but I started eeing ghosts, so Imjst called his raise. The river was
probably one the few cards I really did not like to see. Now Abraham lead out with $3,000 which (I had $7,000 left), and I pondered for a while but in the end I could not find the call with just top pair and so many possibilities for both straights and two pairs out there. I folded and he turned over
to show me the bluff. That one hurt.
A few hands later they broke my table up again, and I was seated in an even worse position at table 23 with 4 big stacks ($18,000-30,000+) and with my $7,000+ I looked like a dwarf.
Now the blinds at $100-200 with a $25 ante. I sit out for about 8 hands when I pick up
on the button. UTG raises to $600, two callers on the way to me, I thought it a great spot to call with good value. Blinds fold, the pot is at $2,925 now. The flop comes
The preflop raise bets out $2,000 and I have about $6,000- left, so when the other two callers fold I decide that this is the hand I need to double up on (after all he should fold AK, right?) and I move all-in. He calls pretty quickly with aces, no spade, so I am looking good before the last two cards. Alas, no jack, no ten and no spade so goodbye Henrik and this awful acidous and revolting feeling in the stomach when you get up from the chair and bid the $1,000,000 prize pool a definite farewell.
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